For a side who have lurched from good to bad to ugly on numerous occasions this season, often in the same match, Tottenham Hotspur curiously remain, at least technically, in contention on four fronts. Forget, perhaps, the Barclays Premier League, in which they are closer to relegation rather than jubilation, but they are alive and kicking in the Carling Cup, FA Cup and Uefa Cup.

It is, though, all getting a bit much for Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager. He is juggling his tired troops the best he can, but, with resources at breaking point, even his renowned optimism is taking a battering. A mini-slump of five matches without a win, after the eye-catching upsurge in form in the wake of his sudden arrival in late October, is not helping, either.

“There are lots of games — too many in all honesty,” Redknapp said. “We are involved in so many competitions and the matches are coming thick and fast. There is not time to get your breath. With a squad of this size, we’re fighting on too many fronts. If we were sitting in the top half of the table, maybe we wouldn’t be bothered. But when you are where we are, you could do without all these games.”

Tottenham have reached the round of 32 in the Uefa Cup and the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, which they won last season. They meet Burnley in the first leg at home on Tuesday night.

This evening, it is the FA Cup, with Wigan Athletic the visitors to White Hart Lane. Redknapp lifted the Cup with Portsmouth last season on his first trip to Wembley Stadium as a manager.

“We loved every minute of it and to bring the Cup back to Portsmouth was something really special,” Redknapp said. “It would be lovely to win the Cup again this year and I hate to say that we could do without it because I’ve always put out my best teams and had a go in it. The Carling Cup is very important but most important is the league. We’re still scrapping away for points, like 14 other teams in the division.”

Wigan are the most upwardly mobile side in the league and five wins in their past six matches have taken them into seventh place.

However, Steve Bruce’s squad is also creaking at the seams, with Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki, the strikers, likely to be missing because of injuries and Lee Cattermole, the combative midfield player, suspended.

“For a club like ours, a cup is a realistic chance of winning something,” the Wigan manager said. “If we can get past Spurs, who knows how far we can go? We have had a fantastic December and 2008 was very good for us. Can we continue that form into the new year? We have given ourselves a great chance.”

How they line up

Tottenham Hotspur (possible; 4-4-1-1): H Gomes — V Corluka, J Woodgate, M Dawson, G Bale — D Bentley, D Zokora, J O’Hara, A Taarabt — L Modric — D Bent.

Wigan Athletic (possible; 4-4-2): M Pollitt — M Melchiot, P Scharner, T Bramble, M Figueroa — L A Valencia, M Brown, W Palacios, R Taylor — H Camara, K Kilbane.

Referee: A Wiley.